Cabernet-Braised Short Rib and Chanterelle Cobbler

By PineyCook

Ingredients

• For the braised short ribs:
• 2 pounds thick-cut short rib meat, bones removed
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 4 carrots, roughly chopped
• 3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
• 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3/4 pound fresh chanterelle mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 cup Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 cups beef stock, plus more as needed
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs, plus more for garnish
• For the thyme biscuit topping:
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons frozen butter
• 3/4 cup milk, plus more if necessary
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme leaves, plus more for garnish

Details

Adapted from food52.com

Preparation

Step 1

Pat the short ribs dry with a paper towel and season liberally with salt and pepper on all sides. In a 3 to 4 quart dutch oven over medium-high heat, pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil and add the short ribs a few at a time. Brown on all sides, taking care not to overcrowd the meat. If the bottom of the pan looks like it's getting too dry while the short ribs are browning, add more oil, one tablespoon at a time.

Transfer the browned short ribs to a plate and sprinkle them with 1 tablespoon of flour. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees°F.

In the same dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Working in batches, cook carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and mushrooms until soft and translucent, and slightly browned. Set aside the cooked vegetables with the short ribs as you work through the batches. Deglaze the pan with Cabernet Sauvignon and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, beef stock, the bay leaf, and thyme sprigs and return short ribs and vegetables to the pan. Cover and cook in the preheated oven for 2 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, begin work on preparing the topping (recipe below). After 2 1/2 hours, remove ribs from the dutch oven and set lid aside. If you notice the liquid has mostly evaporated, add more, about 1 cup, and stir. Form the biscuit dough into balls, about the size of a golf ball, as best you can. The dough will be sticky, so they will likely be more like dollops. Place each ball of dough on top of the short ribs until they are covered. Return the dutch oven to the oven and cook, uncovered, for another 30 to 45 minutes, or until the topping turns golden.

Spoon the cobbler into shallow bowls and garnish with fresh thyme.

For the thyme biscuit topping:
Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cream of tartar, and kosher salt into a large mixing bowl. Use a box grater to grate the frozen butter into the flour mixture. Toss gently with your hands, making sure not to over mix the butter into the flour (it should resemble small pebbles or gravel).

Add the milk and thyme and mix until a sticky dough forms. Cover bowl and set it in the refrigerator until you are ready to add to the short ribs. Note: The amount of topping needed to cover the braised meat will vary based on the diameter of your dutch oven. If your dutch oven is wider than 8 inches and you want the topping to cover the entire thing, double the topping ingredients above.